This week the use of technology on the beef and meat industries has been greeted as both a positive and a negative by producers, processors and marketeers.

In Scotland, the early results of a research project looking at techniques to add value to the meat production system look promising.

Quality Meat Scotland’s Research and Development Report 2010 says that the project, being carried out by Cameron Craigie, the first PhD student solely funded by QMS, harnesses scientific expertise in both New Zealand and Scotland as part of a new research collaboration between QMS, SAC, AgResearch (New Zealand Crown Research Institute) and Massey University in New Zealand.

In the US, the American Meat Institute has released a new educational video outlining for consumers the proper portion sizes for meat and poultry products, as recommended by the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The video, featuring Dr Betsy Booren, director of scientific affairs of the American Meat Institute Foundation, is the fifth installment of AMI’s new “Ask the Meat Scientist” series.

The Dietary Guidelines recommend people consume 5-7 ounces per day from the meat and beans category as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

However, the UK National Beef Association has called for deep discussions between meat processors and cattle finishers ahead of Video Image Analysis (VIA) machines being installed by meat plants to automatically classify beef carcases in all parts of the UK.

The move to install VIA is fuelled in part by abattoir owners trying to cut back on spiralling classification costs but if it is not done properly it could penalise finishers to the tune of many millions of pounds a year on a cross-UK basis.

The VIA machines currently being trialled in Northern Ireland has been pitted successfully against experienced human graders as part of the EU approved pre-examination that is required ahead of commercial installation.

Meanwhile the meat industry has received a fresh blow over safety from scientific research.

In a new study, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that eating processed meat, such as bacon, sausage or processed deli meats, was associated with a 42 per cent higher risk of heart disease and a 19 per cent higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

In contrast, the researchers did not find any higher risk of heart disease or diabetes among individuals eating unprocessed red meat, such as from beef, pork, or lamb.

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